Divine Mercy, Divine Justice
That mercy/justice post reminds me how Fr. Groeschel, on his Sunday Night Live show this past week, mentioned that he's a big proponent of Divine Mercy. He joked that some folks are prophets of Divine Justice, but he stays the hell away from that group. Says he knows which end his bread his buttered on. Amen brother, er, Father.
His comments reminded me of reading Steinbeck's Travels With Charlie many, many years ago. I read with great surprise how he (Steinbeck) longed to find a Christian church that preached fire and brimstone. He wanted fire and brimstone! I thought at the time: why would anyone want that "mean God" preached? But now I understand it better. As you creep into middle age the tendency is towards complacency. Youth is many things, but it's not usually marked by complacency or lethargy. Middle age usually means you have a family and a more comfortable income, more stability, and that tends to induce tepidity. Of course, the fire and brimstone sermons are probably not helpful to those prone to despair, but that's a horse of a different color. In the end one can see how we need lessons of both justice and mercy, primarily because both are true.
No comments:
Post a Comment